<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by evil93evo &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">

NHRA needs to change the classes to something more like PRO Tube, PRO Unibody, then the real "hot rod" cars like FWD, wheelie bars, a fiberglass only on doors trunk and front ends, but not mega buck machines that only run meth and need a ten person staff to be able to stage the damn car. Basically a heads up class for the Sponsor challenged types that are the heart of drag racing.

I'm rambling its late
Tom</TD></TR></TABLE>

I totally agree...maybe we should talk to somebody...hey, it could happen if there are enough of us

 

This is a good topic. Years ago a bunch of guys that I used to hang out with were all about going fast. Thats it. Then they were all about drifting. Most of them had rotaries, one had a turbo ex coupe. He sold his turbo honda to get an 3rd gen rx7 with expectations of 500 to the wheels on pump gas with no prior rotary knowledge. Ha. Two of them are actually responsible for the current drifting events at E-town. They got the whole thing going pretty much. When my civic caught on fire, I thought it was over. I bought a 95 240sx with the intentions of selling whatever I could salvage to get money for an sr20det. But once I got the 240, and saw my hatch still sitting in my driveway. I just couldn't do it. I felt like if I sold everything and just jumped in head first with the 240 I would be selling myself short, even though all my freinds were always "when are you gonna get rid of that thing, rear wheel drive is so much better, blah blah". I figured, well now I have two cars. One is reliable, the other is not. I chose to reconstruct the civic and drive the 240 everday bone stock. I started fixing it 3 years ago and its all starting to pay off now. I still plan on putting an sr20det in the 240 but not to get it sideways, just because I think the car is a work of art and I'd like to exploit it for what it was meant to be. Thats my take on the whole drift thing. I'll stick to my Honda roots for now. Oh by the way, the two guys who started the whole drifting thing, both got free cars through some kind of sponsor-ship. One got a free IS300 and one a free 350Z each with 15 grand to throw at it. Me, I still have a 207,000 mile hatch with hopes of running 11s and over 25 grand of my money so far thrown at it so far

 

I think anyone who gets to do both (especially if its PRo or anything of the sorts) is pretty lucky and i have to say i would do either.

 

drifting is fun, but id rather road race....drag racing is good...
most forms of motorsport are good imo!

 

drag= good tires
drifting= bad tires

 

Just another fad.

 

Drifting has almost hit harder than JDM did, and JDM hit bout as hard as Crack

 

Driftings cool..but I dont know about it taking over 1/4 drag racing..

 

to be a legimate drifter, one will really have to submerge him/herself into the culture... to understand the driving techniques required, and why you perform certain mods.

it is very different in drag... where, you have to have $ to go faster. sure some people will say drag is a way of life to but, with out $, you can't really go much faster.

one thing that's cool about drifting is basically one is really only competing against himself, to be a better driver. but to each in his own. i like 'em all for different reasons.

 

<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by GhettoRacer &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">to be a legimate drifter, one will really have to submerge him/herself into the culture... to understand the driving techniques required, and why you perform certain mods.

it is very different in drag... where, you have to have $ to go faster. sure some people will say drag is a way of life to but, with out $, you can't really go much faster.

one thing that's cool about drifting is basically one is really only competing against himself, to be a better driver. but to each in his own. i like 'em all for different reasons.
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i agree and disagree that drag racing requires more money.....you can have a budget drag car (old turbo hatch) and do just fine at the local track. or you can go buy an old AE86 set it up with a nice suspension and it'd probably cost around the same (maybe less).

i still think everyone is comparing apples to oranges.....to me drifting is almost an art. i mean, it takes YEARS of experience to simply master the skills you need for basic drifting. and yes, drifters truly only compete with themselves always trying to improve their driving. but it is however a spectator sport. the whole reason for drifting in front of crowds is to do just that, drift for the crowds. if it wasn't about the people who love to watch drifting then all the japanese guys would still be in japan doing crazy **** up in the mountains perfecting their skills.....my final thought on drifting is this; these guys have MAJOR talent and are masters of driving. for that they get my respect and awe.

drag racing is completely different in my opinion because....well you all know exactly why it's different! does drag racing taking much skill? not really. like someone said earlier, once you get the lights down your set. all one has to do is put the car 1/4 mile down the track in a straight line. pretty easy (well, sometimes ) but how much skill does it take to build a motor? how much skill and talent does it take to do it all by yourself? for those out there that do just that (non of those guys that are sponsored even though i know they had to do it themselves at somepoint) you are what drag racing is ALL about. it's not about who's the fastest. no, it's all about you building something the way you want it and showing it off to the world.

final point is that they are two completely different sports and shouldn't be so easily compared.

(and yeah, i know a lot of drifters build their own cars etc )

 

I think most of the DRAG RACING fans have l forgotten that DRAG RACING isnt ALL about going fast... Bracket racing is also part of DRAG RACING. and can be just as fun. you dont need BIG budgets to race Bracket Racing.

Before our team took on the Task in planning to compete in the PRO circuits, I was bracket racing for years. I probably won more money than I spent in the motor. It was fun and got me some good cash too. One race, I was able to win 1st place and won at least $1100 in contigency money prizes. yes I got the checks... every single one of them.

At some point in this Import Drag Racing scene, bracket racing will come up and it'll be competitive for any budget racer.

 

drag racing=fast cars
auto-x=fast drivers

 

Gary,

I wrote about this in one of my editorials when I was with the other mag.

In my opinion, drifting is the automotive equivalent of figure skating in the sense that it's a spectator's sport where it can be admired and the results of the participants are subject to a panel of judges. So you can have a spectacular run and nail all the drifts with great technique but still lose because of someone's opinion.

I think that is a horrible way to lose, which is why I play hockey instead of figure skating and why I'm into drag racing as opposed to drifting. There has been talk about drifting becoming larger than drag racing- not going to happen anytime soon if at all. I can't see companies and corporations investing as heavily into drivers that are primarily unknown to the North American market that enthusiasts can't entirely relate to or effectively communicate with. Take for example when you are at a race and in the pits, your fans can come over and talk to you about their car or yours or pick your brain or whatever. That doesn't happen with the top drifters.

The second reason that I can't see drifting take over drag racing is that Honda has a substantial dominance in the aftermarket and with the enthusiast. I can't see Honda owners trading in their cars for a beat up AE86 that is a stone compared to even a Sunfire. The 240sx/SR20DET fad drives me bananas and I own an S13. While the S13 handles amazing it's not quick, plus to get any serious performance out of it you have to spend cash on building the KA24DE or swapping in the SR20DET (junkyard engine). Magazines such as Super Street make the SR and drifting out to be the greatest thing since sliced bread because they have a vested interest in it. The majority of their content is from Japan and from Japanese tuners and right now RWD is huge over there as are the big VIP cars. Not to bash them but that's their angle.

Also look at the cars that are competing in drift, they are usually totalled by the end of the event. I can't see myself bending my Tein HE and WORK wheels not to mention destroying me S-03s for a stupid power slide.

Drifting is entertaining to watch but I would rather watch drag racing and more importantly I'd rather pay to watch drag racing. Sorry for the essay..

I can't see myself bending my Tein HE and wheels not to mention destroying my S-03s for a stupid power slide.




Modified by S13Sean at 6:10 PM 9/23/2003

 

<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by limeaccord &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">

drag racing is completely different in my opinion because....well you all know exactly why it's different! does drag racing taking much skill? not really. like someone said earlier, once you get the lights down your set. all one has to do is put the car 1/4 mile down the track in a straight line. pretty easy (well, sometimes ) but how much skill does it take to build a motor? how much skill and talent does it take to do it all by yourself? for those out there that do just that (non of those guys that are sponsored even though i know they had to do it themselves at somepoint) you are what drag racing is ALL about. it's not about who's the fastest. no, it's all about you building something the way you want it and showing it off to the world.

final point is that they are two completely different sports and shouldn't be so easily compared.

(and yeah, i know a lot of drifters build their own cars etc )</TD></TR></TABLE>

I think that comparing skills required is like comparing apples to oranges. Yes any monkey can pilot a car down the 1320 and any banana can build an engine as the skills required for that are minimal. But if you are to be TRUELY competitive and excel in drag racing or anyother motorsport you must have talent or you are wasting money and time. The knowledge that upcomers have now to build engines and race has been passed down from the pros that are making waves and continue to innovate and reinvent the sport. You just can't throw money at a race program and expect it to be successful. The drivers in the drift series are masters I agree but so are the guys in SCCA solo series as well as drivers like Klienubing (sp?) and Cunninngham. Drifting could be more closely compared to Freestyle skiing or like I said Figure skating.

 

Good points Sean, and good analogy to figure skating vs hockey. It's fun to watch cars going sideways, but how many times do you want to see it? (Admittedly, my opinion might be a bit biased.)

On a business side, as soon as a car gets into the spectators, drifting will be over in the US. Period. Look at the photos on urbanracer, from Irwindale. There's a red Mazda backing up on the barrier, with spectators only 4 feet from the K-rail. It's not an optical illusion, I know folks that were there. Another 5 mph faster, and who knows? Will spectating at a drifting event be the same if everyone is forced to sit in the grandstands? I think part of the excitement is being right there next to the track when the cars are sideways. Once everyone has to sit far away, in the stands, it will lose some of it's excitment, IMO.

 

You know what's funny Jim, is that there are people out there that just don't understand how much work goes into making an event safer for the spectators. I know that we (the NCRA) bust our backs to try to all but eliminate the Hurt factor for our spectators, and racers alike. Racing is dangerous to a greater or lesser degree, but some of the spectators, are so hell bent on watching the action "up close" that it makes our jobs more difficult. I have personally been hit with pieces of rubber coming off of tires on drag cars, and it's not fun. I know the risk, but some of the people who want to watch don't. The fact if the matter is you're right about safety, I dread the day that a drift car goes into a crowd, because it will definitely have an adverse effect on the industry as a whole.

Clayton

 

<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by old guy &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote"> There's a red Mazda backing up on the barrier, with spectators only 4 feet from the K-rail. It's not an optical illusion, I know folks that were there. Another 5 mph faster, and who knows? </TD></TR></TABLE>

I noticed that too! Scary.

 

SuperStreet is a good magazine because it is entertaining and they provided coverage on new things which the other mags didn't even touch upon..that is before Primedia took over. it isn't a great mag but, in no way is your "ImportBeat" even on the same level as SuperStreet.

 

I really hope this drifting deal works out well. If they are going to put both events together that will bring in alot more people. Plus I would think that it would pull more sponsors to. That **** you guys were talking about about who are better drivers dont really matter. I dont think Jonh Force compares himself to Jeff Gordan. (Sean holla at me I lost your number)

one

 

thats the one thing about a lot of drifting events..its somewhat unsafe.
just watch this vid..awesome driving..was a great event..but if that car lost it(which is did,,just hit another curb away from the crowd) ..ouch

http://members.rogers.com/swee...g.wmv

 

I agree, drifting combined with a drag event would be great as it would draw a larger crowd and that is good news for everyone- racers,sponsors,promotors,and vendors. I just think that drifing alone in a parking lot is a tad boring in my opinion. Now if I could watch a Touge like they do in Japan. I think that would be exciting. Drifting is a nice accessory to a drag event.

 

i dunno , i will always love drag racing , drifting is bad *** to watch and fuin to do , but i am a drag racer at heart and always will be .

 

i was @ e-town tonight to watch the drifting show. the 2signal auto cars were there. damn good drivers exept when the air is soo filled with tire smoke that they run into eachother. quite a show that Signal put on tonight. looks fun to me.

 

<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by Hatch4urSnatch &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">SuperStreet is a good magazine because it is entertaining and they provided coverage on new things which the other mags didn't even touch upon..that is before Primedia took over. it isn't a great mag but, in no way is your "ImportBeat" even on the same level as SuperStreet.</TD></TR></TABLE>

First of all.. for you.. when did i ever ever ever compare import beat to super street? Comparing import beat to super street is like comparing a high school basketball team to the lakers. Import beat is privately run without any backing from anybody while stupid street has money to blow.

You just cant compare the two and i think you are a true idiot for trying to compare the two. Import beat never did and probably never will get as big just on the fact that we say it how it is and do NOT kiss other people's asses to do it. We do the **** because we love it, not to get big and make a living on it. We all do other things as well.

Its allmost like NHRA and NDRA. Nhra relates more to the big names/high budget teams and NDRA to the people that love the sport and know what it stands for. im in no way knocking either of those sanctioning bodies but everyone knows its true. Super street WAS a great mag. Now its full of horse **** and ricky chu's gf. *shrugs*

Chris

BTW, im glad we atleast reached one person, since you seem to know soo much about us.

 

<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by The P.I.M.P &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">

First of all.. for you.. when did i ever ever ever compare import beat to super street? Comparing import beat to super street is like comparing a Me to Ryan in basketball. Import beat is privately run without any backing from anybody while stupid street has money to blow.

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yup.